Is America More of a Dystopia or a Utopia? Essay Example

Peter Marshall said, “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” So even with all the rights and freedoms in America, many think we live in a dystopic society and country. But for many reasons, America is closer to a utopia.

To start, America is a utopia, but many view it in a dystopic way. Ken Liu once said, “In every revolution, there are winners and losers. Every dystopian is a utopia for somebody else. It just depends where you are.” So, if you keep believing that America is a dystopia, then you’re practically looking to make it one. If you only look at the negatives then you will never find the positives, such as the freedoms, rights, and opportunities that this land bestows. Henry Kissinger once stated, “For other nations, utopia is a blessed past never to be renewed; For America, it is just beyond the horizon.” Many believe America is a dystopia because there are bad things such as poverty. But truly the only reason that bad stuff is in America is that we do nothing about it. But as Kissinger said, “It is just beyond the horizon,” all we have to do is work for it. When you go looking for the bad you will always find it, so why not look for the good.

Secondly, in this day and age, America is about the most utopic place you can live compared to many other countries. George Bush quotes, “America is the land of the second chance- and when the gates of the prisons open, the path ahead should lead to a better life. As George Bush said America is the land of second chances, no matter who you are or where you’re from. There are many who come from other countries seeking better opportunities. In other countries such as North Korea, you don’t have freedom. If you make mistakes you will likely be arrested or worse. “Only in America can someone start with nothing and achieve the American Dream. That’s the greatness of this country,” said Rafael Cruz. No matter where you start, in America you can always make something of yourself with determination and effort. Unlike many other countries, it doesn’t matter where you start, poor or rich. In some parts of England, there are still types of feudal systems. America has bad parts, that’s obvious. But in other countries, life is a whole lot worse.

Many argue that since there are bad things in America it automatically makes it a dystopia. James Baldwin stated, “I love this America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” So that argument does make sense. In todays society there is a lot of racism and political judgement and injustice. It is a hard life in America. But if we are going to judge we need to think and judge gracefully, There is racism, hunger, poverty, yes. But without the bad, we wouldn’t know what was good. In the article, “Are we living in a dystopia?” it states “But the U.S is not a dystopia. It still has functioning democratic institutions. Many in the U.S fight against dehumanization and persecution of minorities. Courts are adjusting eases. Legislatures are still passing bills.” American does have problems, yes, but as a country, they are fixing them. So the argument that we just because we have problems and bad things is true but invalid. No country is perfect, but the U.S is working to becomea better nation and country all around. So to sum it up, America has bad, but a dystopia is much more dreadful. 

As a result, there are numerous arguments and reasons on how america is more of a utopia rather than a dystopia. Because people try and view America as bad and ignore the good while avoiiding the fact that other countries are way worse, America is more of a utopia. So, imagine a place where the government is in 100% control, there is loss of freedom,and the need to survive. Do you think america is comparable to that?

Works Cited

I Learn America. “Sorry.” I Learn America, 9 Sept. 2017, https://ilearnamerica.com/good-things-bad-things/. 

MasterClass. “What Is Dystopian Fiction? Learn about the 5 Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction with Examples - 2022.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 9 Sept. 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-dystopian-fiction-learn-about-the-5-characteristics-of-dystopian-fiction-with-examples. 

Merchant, Brian. “America Has Always Been a Dystopia.” Medium, OneZero, 23 June 2020, https://onezero.medium.com/its-always-been-a-dystopia-858ef606832f.